Is Van Gogh’s famous bed lurking in a Dutch attic?

Update:
October, 31/2016 - 12:05

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The 1889 The Bedroom painting by Van Gogh on view at the Art Institute of Chicago. Britain-based Van Gogh expert Martin Bailey said the bed on which Van Gogh slept while living in the scenic southern French city of Arles may have ended up in a home in Boxmeer in The Netherlands after World War II. — AFP Photo

THE HAGUE — A bed first made famous by Vincent vanGogh’s 1888 painting The Bedroom, may today still be lurking in a home orattic in a small Dutch town, an art historian claimed on Sunday.

Britain-based Van Gogh expert Martin Bailey said the bed on which Van Goghslept while living in the scenic southern French city of Arles may have endedup in a home in Boxmeer in The Netherlands after World War II.

Bailey based his belief on his discovery of a letter written in 1937 by VanGogh’s cousin, Vincent Willem, in which he said he still possessed the bed ofhis famous uncle, who committed suicide in 1890.

"This was a key letter that showed that the bed had survived and had beentaken to The Netherlands," Bailey told Dutch public broadcaster NOS.

"This was a real surprise for me. That was (also) not known to Van Goghscholars," said Bailey, who started off on an intriguing search to tracehistoric pieces of furniture.

Johan van Gogh, 94, said the bed stood in his father’s house in Laren until1945, when it was sent to Boxmeer, around 120km to thesouth, as part of a donation to help Dutch who lost their possessions duringthe war.

Aided by a colleague, Bailey then found a picture of the actual truck usedto cart the donated furniture from Laren to Boxmeer.

"That was the last bit of the puzzle. There is no question that the bedended up in Boxmeer," Bailey said.

"Of course, the intriguing question is: where is it now?" he said,admitting the bed may have inadvertently been thrown away over the years.

Van Gogh painted three versions of The Bedroom.

The 1888 version hangs in Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, while two laterversions painted in 1889, are on display at the Art Institute of Chicago andParis’ Musee d’Orsay.

The Van Gogh Museum in response to Bailey’s claims told the NOS on Sundayit "would be interesting if the bed is actually found".